How to Telecommute (as if You’re Right in the Office)

I do have a real job. I’m employed full-time by Ziff Davis Media to produce content for this very site, ExtremeTech. I get salary and benefits. I also work some very odd hours sometimes.

I work exclusively from home. I’m one of the nation’s lucky telecommuters, meaning I “commute” by walking into my office and firing up my computers. I’m not always in my office, either. Thanks to the miracle of Wi-Fi, I can type articles like this one anywhere in my house on a notebook computer.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Sure, I don’t have to dress up. I don’t have to drive to work over roads that, in the Northeast where I live, can be icy and dangerous. I get full control over the coffee in my coffeepot.

I also have the burden of being “home” and the stigma of people thinking I’m not at work. I know telecommuters who have been asked to babysit other people’s children just because the worker is “home all day.” Here’s the thing: A work day is a work day, and I’m trusted to separate it from a non-work day. My benefits include vacation, sick, and personal days, and I use them just like anyone else.

Working from home takes the right equipment, a measure of discipline, and some extra footwork to make sure your teammates regard you as just as important as the people right next to them. Continued…

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